LIBERATOR

Ray

I dont do this a lot and my soldering is a bit shaky, nay it is a bit of a wreck really. So I came across this thing and I wondered if it wasnt made specially for me. Any opinions?

http://www.seymourduncan.com/liberator/

Wizard

Soldering is easy to learn.

Gearhead

I can recall a few guit cavities that that thing would not have fitted in :?

Bob-Dubery

A good thing (if it fits) for spending lots of money on pickups whilst you search for the magical tone. But soldering is better, and you'll improve quickly with some practice. Just cut little lengths of lighting flex or something and practice.

Wizard

Probably a thread hijack ...

There are two places I have thought of using screws rather than soldering on my strat:
a) wires from jack plate
b) earth wire from body

Would allow you to completely remove the loaded pickguard off the guitar without going near that very wire overloaded central earthing lug.

So ... I am in two minds.

Gearhead

Screwing earth wires makes sense, every earthed case of every piece of kit on the planet has it. But why not desolder the jack cable from the jack side?

AlanRatcliffe

Fine if you really hate soldering. But I'm old school - if it's not soldered, I don't trust it. Solder it right once and it's good for the next 20 - 30 years (as long as you've got quality parts). "No solder" harnesses are OK to test, especially if you are planning on experimenting and moving wires around, but screw terminals stress the ends of the wires.

The best "no solder system I've seen is the Kinman Harness - three screw terminals, but the wires that plug into it are terminated with crimped plugs and there is heatshrink for additional strain relief. The pickups are still soldered in to the harness though.

Wizard wrote There are two places I have thought of using screws rather than soldering on my strat:
a) wires from jack plate
b) earth wire from body

If you do it right, there are only two wires to contend with on a Strat - the two going to the jack socket. The pickguard is earthed by the common, the body screening is earthed via the pickguard and the claw is earthed with a wire from the body screening.